A CHAMPION FOR WOMEN AND FAMILIES? PROVE IT.

At the W20 Summit in Berlin, Ivanka Trump remarked that her father is a "tremendous champion for families" and asserted his commitment to empowering women. Like the audience who booed her, I’m sick of hearing her make this ridiculous claim. Has her father done anything to promote and protect women's rights?

What Trump has done is take active steps to demean and hurt women. One of his first actions in office was to sign an executive order that reinstated and expanded the global gag rule, a move that will prevent thousands of women abroad from accessing essential medical and family planning services. Then, he signed legislation that allows states to withhold federal funds from abortion providers. This puts the work of organizations like Planned Parenthood that not only perform abortions but also provide crucial healthcare services to women at risk. In addition to his assault on women’s health, Trump publically defended Bill O'Reilly, the Fox News television star, who was accused by several women of sexual discrimination and harassment. And who could forget all of the sexist and misogynistic things that Trump said and did before he became president?

Is this what being a champion for women and families looks like? If Ivanka wants to tout her father's support for women's issues, he'll first have to do something that warrants her praise. As for Ivanka herself, where does her support lie? She says that she's an advocate for women's rights, but where was she when her father signed these abominable policies, and why is she so vehemently defending him? Of course she's not responsible for everything her father says and does, but now she’s a member of this administration and must take responsibility for its actions, even when they don’t mesh with the public persona she wants to have. Being a bystander isn’t noble or something to laud.

Ivanka, let your actions match up to your words. If you and your father are the champions for women and families that you say you are, prove it.